A new DNA test guarantees that you will find the one person you are meant to spend the rest of your life with.
As we follow the lives of 5 different people, we find that not all is what it seems.

Review:

I actually finished this book ages ago, back in February, but I did not write a review because I honestly didn’t know what to write, and I had been in a reading and writing slump for a while.

I do remember that I enjoyed the story for the most part, at least until the plot twists came. I didn’t find some of them very believable, as well as some of the characters’ choices, so I was disappointed.

Still, I found it a very thought-provoking book and do recommend it.

Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Share this:

Like this:

On the Other Hand: The Little Anthology of Big Questionsby Renée Paule

Title: On the Other Hand: The Little Anthology of Big Questions

Author: Renée Paule

Genres: Non-Fiction

Length: 216 pages

Source: GoodReads First Reads

Publisher: RPG Publishing

Publishing Date: October 1st 2014

Rating: N/A

Three years later, I am once again a First Reads winner. Unfortunately I was not able to finish this book. I actually did not get past maybe a third of it, I don’t really know.

I dove into a major reading slump in large part because of it, since I found it incredibly pointless and even depressing but felt the obligation to post my review. I think it’s safe to say that after three months I do not intend to pick it back up.

I am going to try and find other books that interest me, to see if I can focus on making reading enjoyable again. Other folks may find this book quite thought-provoking so do feel free to give it a try, it’s just not for me.

McBrid is a scientist in Conguise’s lab. He made a grave mistake and in order to survive the Professor’s wrath he needs to create another monstrosity. But this experiment will be quite different. Does he have the stomach to go through with it?

Review:

Hello, ladies and gents!

I know, it’s been ages since I posted a review. That’s because it’s been ages since I actually read a book. As I posted previously my life has taken quite a turn over the past year and I haven’t found the time or energy to read but the author was kind enough to offer me this book to read and review and I am so happy that she did.

Well I have to say that Ms O’Dea did it again. This short book kept me entertained through and through. I loved every single character and their evolution. The story was touching, thrilling, exciting and although the ending was very well achieved and timed I was left wanting more because I was so enthralled by the story and wanted to know what came next for all of the characters. This is a quick read that will grasp you and not let go. I am extremely excited to see what comes next.

Please note that this is a spin off of the main series Lake of Sins and I believe you should read that in order to understand the world building and evolution better, otherwise you will not understand certain references.

Disclaimer: I would like to thank the author for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Hannah is about to turn 18 and on her birthday she is to marry a man over twice her age.
A week before, she finds herself questioning for the first time in her life why things are the way they are and what they would be if she were to leave the tight community of Clearhaven. A cryptic story her mother tells her only intensifies her desire, as well as meeting enigmatic, Daniel.

Review:

I wasn’t too sure what to make of this book when I started reading it because even though I enjoyed reading about Hannah and her way of life there were quite some ramblings that, to me, felt pointless. I tried imagining how other characters would view her and could only think of an airhead.

I often found myself wondering who this Hanna was before we were introduced to her. Was she always this absent-minded? Is there really anything to her, besides not wanting to be married to a man more than twice her age and imagining a brave version of herself?

As the story progressed, instead of feeling more engaged I ended up disliking the character more and more, especially when she wanted to leave not because the entire concept of how things were done but because she was so speshul and therefore meant for so much more. And she wonders why other women hate her.

Sadly it was another instance of a very interesting premise being poorly executed. Even the ending was lacklustre and lacking the feeling of redemption I craved. Cannot say this one was a pleasant experience.

Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

After Trinity’s betrayal, Jethro will stop at nothing to make her pay.
Hugh uncovers secrets that make him break his agreement with Meesus.
And Trinity needs to finish this war, even if she lost both the boy of her dreams and the man of her future.

Review:

I found this one a bit slow to pick up, particularly the first part. But it was good to see the characters evolve.
Also, the bits with the forest witch were quite interesting and I enjoyed seeing how her prophecies unfolded. Secrets began being unveiled and I was captured by how the characters handled this new information.
The war does indeed end but there is much left to deal with, so I am looking forward to the next book.

Disclaimer: I would like to thank the author for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Tom and his wife live on an almost deserted island, where Tom is the lighthouse’s keeper.
In one April morning, the arrival of a dinghy will force them to make a decision that will change their, and others’, lives forever.

Review:

The Light Between Oceans took me forever to finish because it was a challenge to myself, not something I would normally read. I suppose I am used to more fast paced books so I didn’t find myself looking forward to knowing what came next, more looking forward to seeing what these characters would do with what was dealt to them.

It is most definitely a character driven book, and I have to admit they conquered my heart, particularly Tom. A man with a past that haunts him every step of the way but who always tries to do the right thing. Still, even the more secondary characters had a voice, and their own way of thinking, and their own desires, and I felt compelled by them as well.

Towards the last part of the book, the story takes some twists and turns, and it took my heart along with them. I honestly could not say ‘this is the right thing to do’. I could only suffer alongside with them an hope for good closure, which I got, all things considered.

There isn’t much I can tell you without spoiling the story. It’s one of those that are best savoured if you go into it knowing the least possible, so you can also better understand the characters’ motivations. It will particularly touch you if you are a parent. Just be warned that it broaches extremely difficult subjects, and that sometimes it is nearly impossible to do the right thing, or even tell what it is.

Harry is a kalachakra – he is reborn after he dies, over and over again.
While trying to figure out how to deal with this, he receives an unexpected visit towards the end of his 11th life that will change everything.

Review:

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August started well enough. I was intrigued by the concept and this character, born in 1919.

The book grasped my attention and held it but after a while the narrative grew tiresome. It jumped a lot between Harry’s different lives and I found myself often confused as to what belong in which life.

There were some twists and turns that perked my interest again but not enough to want to pick the book back up. Also, if the book’s concept involves both time travel and parallel realities, I could not see how it would be possible for the narrative to unfold the way it did. And finally, I cannot believe that Harry would be able to maintain such farce for so long without a single slip-up.

Once you have such issues with a book, it’s difficult for it to hold your attention and make you stick to it, so at times I found it quite difficult to pick it back up, as you can see by the time it took me to go through it. I do believe the book is unnecessarily long, particularly the middle, and could have had more impact if it had been more edited.

Still, it is enjoyable as a ‘what if’ work that makes you think and wonder about several issues.